SO FAR, MEN AND WOMEN FROM LOW- AND HIGH-HDI COUNTRIES HAVE
SIMILAR MY World PRIORITIES
The roughly 70,000 people who have filled in the My World survey display few differences in the priorities they rank as likely to make the most difference in quality of life. In fact, across the board participants ranked ‘A good education’ first, and ‘An honest and responsive government’ and ‘Better health care’ were consistently ranked among the top three, regardless of gender, age and the stated country of origin. Unsurprisingly, the largest disparity between male and female rankings lies in ‘Equality between men and women’, which women prioritize more than men. The category ‘Better job opportunities’ demonstrates the most substantial range in rankings based on participants’ gender, age and education level and their country’s HDI. For instance, men prioritize it more than women. As people age and education level rises, ‘Better job opportunities’ is less of a priority. People from countries with a low HDI prioritize ‘Better job opportunities’ much more than those from a high-HDI country. There are some less extreme differences in how priority areas are ranked. For instance, ‘Better transport and roads’ and ‘Phone and internet access’ were prioritized at a higher level by those with lower education levels and those in countries with a low HDI. Countries with a low HDI prioritized ‘Reliable energy at home’ more than other groups. Those in countries with a high HDI ranked ‘Freedom from discrimination and persecution’, ‘Action taken on climate change’ and ‘Equality between men and women’ considerably higher than other groups. SOURCE: MY WORLD, MARCH 8, 2013, WWW.MYWORLD2015.ORG
framework not robust enough to deal with the ‘big issues’ facing the world, especially in the context of global developments since their formulation. Many respondents felt that a rethinking of the MDG framework would be welcome, but they pointed also to the risks of breaking the consensus that underlies the Millennium Declaration. MANY PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONSULTATIONS ARE CALLING FOR A GLOBAL FRAMEWORK THAT BALANCES THE AT TENTION DEVOTED TO QUALITY AND QUANTITY IN DEVELOPMENT RESULTS.
Beyond school enrolment, are children learning? More than the number of people connected to water sources, is it safe to drink? While food production has increased, does the food available have the nutrients that women, children and men need? These are the kinds of questions that are surfacing as reflections on how to take the MDG culture of resultsfocused development to the next level. Taking education as an example, while many countries are improving their enrolment rates, others are stuck or even backsliding. This is because school enrolment does not tell the full story. A focus is also needed on what children and young people learn and whether it
High-Level Panel Member Graça Machel speaks at thematic consultation on Governance (Video: UNDP)
THE GLOBAL CONVERSATION BEGINS: EMER GING VIE WS FOR A NE W DE VELOPMENT AG E N DA 13